NOREF - Publications / Home

Noref Newsletters [Show all]

(2010). Noref - Sudan newsletter 6 February 2010. This newsletter is a joint effort of NOREF and NUPI collecting new resources on Sudan. A monthly selection of Arab and non Arab official, journalistic and academic sources in English is compiled to get an overview of the main events, opinions and documents from the perspective of the Arab world.
(2010). Noref - Darfur newsletter 5 - January 2010. Darfur Bimonthly - a selection of perspectives from and on the Arab world.
(2009). Noref - Darfur newsletter 4 - November 2009. This newsletter is a joint effort by NOREF and NUPI bringing together new resources on the conflict in Darfur. It contains a selection of perspectives from and on the Arab world; the data are collected in the period September-October and published by Noref in November.
(2009). Noref - Darfur newsletter 3 - September 2009. Darfur Bimonthly - a selection of perspectives from and on the Arab world.
(2009). Noref - Darfur newsletter 2 - July 2009. Darfur Bimonthly - a selection of perspectives from and on the Arab world
(2009). Noref - Darfur newsletter 1 - May 2009. This newsletter is a joint effort by NOREF and NUPI bringing together new resources on the conflict in Darfur. A monthly selection of Arab and non-Arab official, journalistic and academic sources in English providing an overview of the main events, opinions and documents from the perspective of the Arab world. Darfur Bimonthly - A selection of perspectives from and on the Arab world

Noref Reports [Show all]

Lisa Wedeen (2010). Yemen: state fragility, piety, and the problems with intervention. The seemingly neutral category of “failed states,” as applied to Yemen, constructs the country as a place in need of intervention. In obscuring more than it reveals about local realities, outside interference runs the risk of being counterproductive.
Mariano Aguirre , Chris van der Borgh (2010). Building peace, states and hybrids. International missions in crisis areas are often unsure of how to move forward. In an article published in the Broker, Mariano Aguirre and Chris van der Borgh provide an overview of current debate in which the idea of “revisioning” such interventions is gaining ground.
Monica Hirst (2010). Brazil in Haiti: the challenges ahead. Brazil is determined to become a major actor of the international reconstruction efforts in Haiti. The urge to contain an Americanisation of the assistance to Haiti has led the Brazilian government to request that all humanitarian relief operations be subordinated to UN coordination.
Ahmed Abdelkareem Saif (2010). Complex power relations in Yemen provide opportunities for al-Qaeda. Yemen’s problems are endemic and deeply rooted in the nature of society and its complex power relations. Ahmed Saif argues that state-building and rule of law is the only way to combat terrorism and prevent failure of the state.
Henry Siegman (2010). Imposing Middle East Peace. The continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank seems to have finally locked in the permanence of Israel’s colonial project. Outside intervention may offer the last hope for a reversal of the settlement enterprise and the achievement of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, writes Henry Siegman. Since the US is no longer the likely agent of that intervention, it is up to the Europeans and to the Palestinians themselves to fashion the path to self-determination in the occupied territories.
Robert Matthews (2010). An anvil of clay: Pakistan’s military balks at Obama’s Afghan surge. The Obama administration and Nato must confront the reality that the Pakistani military views both the war in Afghanistan and the current US-Nato strategy by very different criteria than Western forces, and Pakistan’s cooperation in the coming military surge cannot be assumed.

Noref Policy Briefs [Show all]

Øystein H. Rolandsen (2010). Why is violence escalating in Southern Sudan?. Intensifying conflict is threatening the stability of Southern Sudan and ultimately the peace process itself. Local violence must be thwarted, perpetrators brought to justice and land legislation clarified writes Øystein H. Rolandsen, so that the elections and the secession referendum are not derailed.
Helge Lurås (2010). Build-up of Afghan security forces ill advised. A well-functioning government is a prerequisite for any successful counter-insurgency strategy and good governance is unlikely to be established in Afghanistan any time soon. As a consequence, the plans for the build-up of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) must be adjusted. Helge Lurås probes the gap between the rhetoric and reality of the Afghan security forces build-up.
Tone Faret , Eduardo Colindres (2009). Haiti: the challenge of ending the transition to democracy. Violence and electoral fraud has been a constant feature of politics in Haiti since a democratic system was introduced some twenty years ago. The danger exists that the upcoming elections will enable the power-holding elites to establish a non-democratic government under an apparent democracy.
Michael Renner (2009). Water challenges in Central-South Asia. Climate change will increasingly exacerbate water scarcity in Central-South Asia, while unsafe water is a leading cause of death in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Martha Brill Olcott (2009). Central Asia: Living in Afghanistan’s shadow. This policy brief examines the economic, energy, resource and security issues surrounding the Central Asian republics’ relations with Afghanistan in the context of the escalating crisis in that country.
Marco Mezzera (2009). Challenges of Pakistan’s Governance System. The most urgent need in Pakistan’s security and development is to establish a legitimate, effective and democratic state for the people, and this means listening to those who advocate a genuine reform of Pakistan’s governance system.

Articles [Show all]

Yossi (Joseph) Alpher (2010). Middle East: new directions for peacemaking. Yossi Alpher recommends the US and the international community should opt for alternatives to stalled Israeli-Palestinian final status talks: Israel-Syria negotiations, a reassessment of strategies for Gaza, and more dynamic support for Palestinian statebuilding.
Øystein H. Rolandsen (2010). Sudan and the ICC: One year after. A year later, President Bashir’s ICC case is in the spotlight again as he faces charges of genocide. Yet the ICC process has, if any, had a negative impact on peacebuilding in Sudan notes Øystein H. Rolandsen.
Augusto Varas Fernández (2010). Power struggle creates vacuum as Haiti waits. Hidden tensions over regional leadership have surfaced between the main hemispheric actors, in the wake of the Haitian catastrophe. The United States, Brazil and the United Nations have once again faced off in a familiar arena, in which the Haitian government has disappeared.
Henriette Lunde (2010). Can Haiti rise from the rubble? . The US will play a major role in rebuilding Haiti. But reconciling long-term statebuilding objectives with waves of Haitian emigrants will prove a difficult balancing act, writes Tone Faret. While long-term reconstruction is crucial, it must be on Haiti’s own terms, fine-tuned to the Haitian reality, insists Henriette Lunde.
Tone Faret (2010). Haiti: a dilemma for the US . In the wake of the devastating earthquake, the US will play a major role in the emergency response and reconstruction phase. But, reconciling long-term statebuilding objectives with waves of Haitian emigrants will prove a difficult balancing act.
Kjetil Selvik (2010). State crisis in Yemen. Calls for increased Western military support to Yemen to prevent the spread of terrorism are alarming. The cause of Yemen’s political crisis is not the rise of al-Qaeda, but a gradual erosion of state authority. Kjetil Selvik warns that propping up President Saleh’s repressive regime could deepen the country’s crisis.

Book reviews [Show all]

Kristoffer Lidén (2010). Revision or revolution?. Kristoffer Lidén contrasts two books which distil different theoretical conclusions from rather similar empirical findings: The Dilemmas of Statebuilding and Whose Peace? Critical Perspectives on the Political Economy of Peacebuilding.
Madalena Moita (2009). Book Review November 2009 - Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding: Moving from Violence to Sustainable Peace. By integrating innovative theory with detailed case studies, this book seeks to define the conditions that result in sustainable political solutions to violent conflicts, thus pointing to the reasons why some post-conflict processes succeed while others fail.
Necla Tschirgi (2009). Book Review October 2009 - Building Peace: Practical Reflections from the Field. This volume documents and evaluates thirteen diverse projects with a view to distilling broader lessons on how to monitor and measure success in peacebuilding work.
Sana Majeed (2009). Book Review no 2 August 2009 - Engaging the Muslim World. 3 pages. Professor Juan Cole provides convincing arguments as to how lasting, trusting and mutually beneficial relations between the Muslim world and the North Atlantic countries can be established.
David Sogge (2009). Book Review August 2009 - Africa. The Politics of Suffering and Smiling. 3 pages. A provocative reflection on the perverse politics of today’s sub-Saharan Africa, this book will generate controversy among academics and policy makers.
Necla Tschirgi (2009). Book Review May 2009 - The Dilemmas of Statebuilding. A group of experts looks at the dilemmas, challenges and contradictions that state building and peace building are presenting in post conflict situations for the international community.

Guest Writers [Show all]

Wolf Grabendorff . Grabendorff: Brazil – A "Secure" Partner for the European Union?. The EU-Brazil strategic partnership offers many possibilities for security cooperation but does not take into account the policy implications of Brazil's "southern" world view.
. Astri Suhrke: Electing to Fight in Afghanistan. The election crisis in Afghanistan points to deeper structural problems, suggesting that a consolidation of legitimate power at the centre requires revisiting the Constitution to create a measure of decentralization and parliamentarism.
Martha Brill Olcott (2009). Central Asia: Living in Afghanistan’s shadow. This policy brief examines the economic, energy, resource and security issues surrounding the Central Asian republics’ relations with Afghanistan in the context of the escalating crisis in that country.
Fred Halliday . Fred Halliday on Iran and Afghanistan: the Limits of Power. It is regional politics, not purely military concerns, or ‘proliferation’, that explain Iran’s nuclear policy, and within this set of regional issues, Afghanistan, and, of equal importance, the rivalry with Pakistan, play a central role.
George Joffé . Western Sahara: Conflict Without End?. Is there any chance for a compromise in the near future in the conflict about Western Sahara?
Anette Bringedal Houge . Sexual War Violence: From Reactive to Proactive Measures . By defining sexual war violence as a weapon of war and a threat to international peace and security, UN SC Resolution 1820 challenges the international community’s responses to sexual war violence, advocating a shift of focus from reactive to proactive measures.